Top Reasons Why College Students Would Rather Eat out Than Cook

The conflict that many college students face on a day to day basis: do I eat out or cook? There are various factors to consider here such as skill, laziness, convenience, camaraderie, and taste. We will try and look at this conundrum from an objective point of view and then you all can decide whether or not to keep on eating out to your heart’s content or to try your hand at making some quality recipes.

Here are some top reasons why some of you may choose to eat out rather than eat in.

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Skill

Not everyone knows how to cook. Not everyone goes out of their way to learn how to cook. Unless taught by their parents or through an eagerness to learn, most people think of cooking as heating up ramen in the microwave. While that may sound cheap and convenient, it is not always tasty. My parents told me of a time when they would have cooking classes somewhat regularly in high school. Now it is almost nonexistent. Wouldn’t some of you view that as a necessary life skill? Having the ability to cook and prepare meals for yourself?

With our generation, we are increasingly viewed as lazier and lazier — one of the reasons being our willingness to eat out. If you are not good at cooking, or simply do not know how and do not want to waste the time to manufacture a meal you yourself would not eat, why bother? My advice would be to take a week or two and spend it with whoever cooks the meals in your households. Have them write down the recipes and just a general idea of what to do.

Honestly, I learned to cook from being in the kitchen with my mom a handful of times and watching the Food Network. I find it enjoyable to make something tasty that I whipped up and some of you may as well.

Laziness

Outside of having the skill to cook, some just plain don’t want to take the time to prepare a meal. After a long day of classes, studying, work, and everything in between, the last thing some people want to do is come home to spend the time to make a meal. Why not order a pizza and be done with it?

I am not shaming that by any means because it is a common occurrence for people our age. We simply do not have the energy or willpower to do it after a long, draining day. In that case, have a frozen pizza or something simple to whip up in this situation. Eating out can drain the bank quickly.

Camaraderie

Going out to eat with friends is typically a much more fun experience than making a meal for yourself. It gives you a chance to unwind, relax, and just release some stress after a long day. Better yet, if you go out with friends, it is sure to always be a fun time had by all. Additionally, eating out usually leads to a fun night out with friends wherever you go out to eat. Especially if you go to a place on campus, a night can get off to a better start when had at a bar than at your apartment after a meal for yourself.

Taste

Not sure about most of you, but I enjoy my food more when it tastes better. I imagine a lot of others feel the same. Therefore, why bother spending time preparing a dish or a meal that may not even be appetizing to you when you could go out to a restaurant and get a higher quality meal? You are not alone in this thought. A huge reason for college kids not wanting to take the time to cook for themselves is because they are not confident enough to like what they eat. Many would rather enjoy a meal prepared by someone whose literal job is to make food instead of trying their hand at it themselves. Who can blame these people really?

As I mentioned earlier, one suggestion is to take cooking classes offered through school or even in the community. Remind students, who care a lot about money, one of the major motivations to learn to cook for themselves is money. You save boatloads of money in the long run by opting to cook your meals than having someone else cook them for you. College is expensive, many know this. Especially with so many students being frugal nowadays, cooking one’s own meals is a huge way to save.